Browsing by Author "Carson, Dena C."

Now showing 1 - 8 of 8
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    Differentiating Between Delinquent Groups and Gangs: Moving Beyond Offending Consequences
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017) Carson, Dena C.; Wiley, Stephanie A.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Even when controlling for high levels of delinquent peers, gang youth differ from their nongang counterparts on a variety of attitudinal and behavioral measures. Researchers have argued that differences can be attributed to the group processes present in the gang setting. This study explores the extent to which differences between youth in a gang and those in a delinquent group can be explained by Bandura’s social cognitive theory. Much of the prior research in this arena has relied on cross-sectional data; in this study, we expand on this prior research using fixed-effects modeling strategies with a multi-site panel of youth. The results comparing time periods when youth were in a gang versus a delinquent peer group indicate that gang-involved youth are more violent and have fewer conventional bonds. This work is able to advance our knowledge on attitudinal and behavioral differences between gangs and other types of peer groups.
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    Do Psychopathic Traits Distinguish Trajectories of Gang Membership?
    (2019) Carson, Dena C.; Ray, James V.
    Prior work that examines different stages of gang membership (joining, time in gang, and leaving) indicates that the gang experience is unique to each individual member. However, we know little about what accounts for variations in the gang experience; particularly, with regard to the role of individual-level characteristics. This article helps to fill this gap by examining how trajectories of gang membership vary based on one multifaceted individual-level characteristic: psychopathy. Some prior work suggests that gang members high in psychopathic traits are attracted to gang life and more likely to hold leadership roles in the gang. Other work indicates that those high in psychopathy are not well suited for gang membership. We make use of the Pathways to Desistance data and group-based trajectory modeling to examine these relationships. Results indicate that the relationship between psychopathy and gang membership is dependent upon the distinct factors of psychopathy.
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    Examining Racial and Ethnic Variations in Reasons for Leaving a Youth Gang
    (Springer, 2018-12) Carson, Dena C.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Purpose One underrepresented area of research within the developmental and life course framework is how criminal careers vary across racial and ethnic lines. Similarly, little is known about how the processes surrounding leaving a youth gang differ based on the experiences of racial and ethnic minorities. This manuscript will help fill this gap in both bodies of literature by examining differences in push and pull motivations for gang desistance across black, Hispanic, and white youth who reside in seven different cities across the USA. Methods The mixed-method analysis relies on grounded theory techniques to identify themes in the qualitative interviews as well as provides a quantitative comparison of gang desistance motivations. Results Black youth were least likely to report pulls associated with prosocial attachments and were also least likely to report being disillusioned with intragang relationships. Hispanic youth most commonly reported pulls associated with parental encouragement and experiencing official sanctions and pushes centered on direct and vicarious violent experiences. White youth most commonly reported pulls associated with having a significant other and pushes including feelings of disillusionment with intragang relationships. Conclusion While there is evidence that street socialization and social isolation uniquely impact the gang desistance decisions of black gang youth, these differences might not be enough to justify race-specific intervention programs.
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    An Experimental Trial of a Dog-Training Program in a Juvenile Detention Center
    (Springer, 2019) Grommon, Eric; Carson, Dena C.; Kenney, Lauren; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Objectives This research examines the effect of a dog-training program among juveniles ordered to a county juvenile detention facility in a large, Midwestern city. Methods A pre-test, post-test experimental design was constructed to examine changes in self-esteem, empathy, optimism, pessimism, compassion, and social competence between juveniles who were randomly assigned to the canine-assisted activity program and to the standard conditions of the detention center without access to the program. Two-way and repeated measures ANOVA models are used to assess the differential effect of the program. Results The dog-training program evaluated in this study did not differentially benefit nor did it harm participants in relation to juveniles who received the standard operating practices and procedures of the detention center. Conclusions Generalized conclusions about the effectiveness of dog-training programs in secure correctional facilities should not be made from this study. Despite the unique program model structure used in this study, the results demonstrate that once selection effects are mitigated through randomization, the mere exposure to a dog-training program does not translate to improved outcomes. The results raise more questions about the influence of selection effects on reported findings and stimulate inquiry on dog-training program models, research designs used to assess program effects, and the importance of intermediate interventions.
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    Gang membership, gender, and sexual behavior in and outside a romantic relationship
    (Taylor & Francis, 2021) Watkins, Adam M.; Carson, Dena C.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Prior research consistently finds that gang youth, compared to nongang youth, are more involved in risky behaviors such as violence and drug sales. Less attention has been given to comparisons in sexual behavior. While research demonstrates that gang membership is associated with risky sex and many gang members indicate that sex is a motivation for joining a gang, prior research is limited in its ability to account for self-selection into a gang, variations in involvement across gender, and different forms of sexual activity. This research addresses these limitations by using Add Health data and propensity score matching to examine the relationship between gang membership and sexual behavior inside and out of a romantic relationship as well as how this relationship differs by gender. While findings indicate that gang membership increases the likelihood of sexual intercourse, nonromantic sex, and the number of nonromantic sex partners, no unique gender differences were identified.
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    Gangs in School: Exploring the Experiences of Gang-Involved Youth
    (Sage, 2019-01) Carson, Dena C.; Esbensen, Finn-Aage; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    This study explores three questions: (1) What are the criteria that current or formerly gang-involved youth use to identify the presence of gangs in school? (2) Do gang activities produce incivilities and victimizations within the school context? and (3) What is the impact of a gang presence on youth in the school, specifically with respect to the presence or absence of fear? We examine the influence of gangs in schools through qualitative analysis of 180 in-depth semistructured interviews. The sample includes youth with varying levels of gang involvement who attended schools across the United States. Youth relied on personal knowledge and visual cues to identify gangs in their school. Despite the occurrence of vicarious victimizations and incivilities at the hands of gang youth, respondents indicated that gangs did not impact their school life. These youth frequently used normalization and delimitation processes to deal with gangs in their school.
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    School Transitions as a Turning Point for Gang Status
    (Taylor & Francis, 2017) Carson, Dena C.; Melde, Chris; Wiley, Stephanie A.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    The study of gangs corresponds well with life course perspectives of crime as the onset, persistence, and desistance from crime parallel the stages of gang membership. This literature commonly draws on turning points to explain the onset and desistance from criminal behavior, which are often synonymous with life transitions such as marriage, military duty, employment –even gang membership itself. In this study we draw on life course perspectives to examine the impact of a specific life transition that is common during adolescence, school transitions, on a youth’s gang status as well as variables associated with a turning point in the life course. Specifically, we focus on two competing relationships that school mobility can serve as the impetus for joining a gang, or alternatively, act as a ‘hook for change’ and facilitate gang leaving. We use a mixed-methods approach by first drawing on qualitative data that examined desisted gang members and their interpretation of their school transition experiences. Second, consistent with a grounded theory approach, we examined these relationships quantitatively using a panel study of youth followed over a five-year period.
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    What’s Sex (Composition) Got to Do with It? The Importance of Sex Composition of Gangs for Female and Male Members’ Offending and Victimization
    (Taylor & Francis, 2018) Peterson, Dana; Carson, Dena C.; Fowler, Eric; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Sex composition of groups has been theorized in organizational sociology and found in prior work to structure female and male members’ behaviors and experiences. Peer group and gang literature similarly finds that the sex gap in offending varies across groups of differing sex ratios. Drawing on this and other research linking gang membership, offending, and victimization, we examine whether sex composition of gangs is linked to sex differences in offending in this sample, further assess whether sex composition similarly structures females’ and males’ victimization experiences, and if so, why. Self-report data from gang members in a multi-site, longitudinal study of 3,820 youths are employed. Results support previous findings about variations in member delinquency by both sex and sex composition of the gang and also indicate parallel variations in members’ victimization. These results are further considered within the context of facilitating effects such as gender dynamics, gang characteristics, and normative orientation.